23 October, 2021

Schumer Delivers an Interesting Floor Speech After McConnell Gives Him a Temporary Rescue From His Own Stupidity

Notice Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) reaction at about 1:10. I don’t think he approved.

In fact, that’s putting it mildly.

Manchin to Schumer: Your speech was "f*****g stupid" – HotAir

There was some last-minute drama, as well. Schumer went to the floor and harshly criticized Republicans for provoking the crisis. Schumer won this round of his never-ending battle with McConnell, and he made sure everyone knew it. But Republicans — and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — didn’t like the tone of Schumer’s remarks. Senate Minority Whip John Thune complained personally to Schumer on the floor, while Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) complained to reporters.

Manchin told Schumer the speech was “fucking stupid,” according to four sources. Then Manchin complained to reporters too. The incident doesn’t really signify anything, except to show how tense everyone is in the Senate these days. And it’s only going to get worse.

Well, that seems a slight blow to party unity.

Manchin is correct, though. Schumer needs to re-read How to Win Friends and Influence People. He’s been given a temporary respite, and there’s no guarantee that there will be another one. So, maybe, just maybe, the wise course is not to completely tick off those that you’ll need to rescue you next time.

A point Ed agrees with:

Furthermore, Schumer’s speech backfired in the sense that it further alienated not just some Republicans who are willing to collaborate in some policy discussions, but also Manchin — who still is the key to Schumer’s control of the Senate. Maybe this one tiff doesn’t “signify anything,” as Punchbowl asserts, but it does at least point out how unhappy Manchin is with his caucus at the moment, and how entrenched that division has become.

It will be interesting to see where this leads. Stay tuned.

No comments:

Post a Comment